A “psychedelic inverted cabin” provided Canadian studio Frank Architecture with the design narrative for this Japanese casual bar and restaurant in Banff, Alberta.
Located in the mountains of Alberta, Hello Sunshine offers barbecue, sushi and karaoke in a retro-influenced space by Frank Architecture.
Fireplaces sit at the centre of special tables at Hello Sunshine
The team imagined an alternate reality, in which Japanese graphic designer Tadanori Yokoo ventured into the mountains and holed up in a cabin for years, and based the interiors on what the result might have been.
“Taking cues from the unlikely juxtaposition of Japanese psychedelia meets spaghetti western meets mountain cabin, Hello Sunshine is bold, playful, and distinct,” said Frank Architecture, which has an office in Banff.
The wood-panelled restaurant features a rounded bar at the back
The eatery is located in the middle of the town, which is a popular destination for tourists and winter sports enthusiasts and is laid out to offer a sense of discovery.
“The spatial planning is intended to feel organic and meandering,” the team said. “Upon entry, the restaurant isn’t immediately visible but is slowly revealed as one moves through space.”
Japanese elements like paper lanterns and textile artworks and paired with plaid curtains and plenty of wood
The restaurant occupies a tall open space lined almost entirely in wood, with the rounded bar located at the back and a variety of table seating options scattered around.
Diners can choose between communal benches, four-tops, booths, bar stools, or sit at one of two special tables.
Booth seating is lined up against angled, shingle-covered walls
This pair of large circular counters both feature a raised fire pit at their centre, below fluid-shaped flues clad in glossy, glazed ceramic tiles.
Japanese design staples like paper lanterns and ceiling-hung textile artworks are combined with mountain tropes such as plaid curtains, exposed stone and plenty of wood.
Blue corduroy fabric is used to cover banquettes, while the booth seating is tucked into a niche formed by angled walls covered with timber shingles.
In the karaoke rooms tucked away at the back, patterned carpet, lava lamps and disco balls add colour and sparkle to the wood-panelled spaces.
Karaoke rooms are enlivened by disco balls and lava lamps
There’s also a concealed tiny bar based on those crammed into the alleyways of Golden Gai in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
“The result is a bold and encapsulating space that surprises and delights guests with unexpected moments and distinctive style,” said the team.
A tiny concealed bar is based on those found in Golden Gai, Shinjuku
This isn’t Frank Architecture’s only Japanese restaurant – the studio also created an intimate setting for the Lonely Mouth noodle bar in its other home city of Calgary.
For another spot in the Western Canada metropolis, the team drew inspiration from author Truman Capote to set a 1960s vibe at Major Tom on the 40th floor of a downtown skyscraper.
This Dezeen Lookbook presents seven interiors that combine design influences from Japan and Scandinavia in a style that has become known as “Japandi”.
A hybrid of east and west, the style is increasingly popular as a way to create interiors that are minimal without being cold. Japandi makes clever use of craftsmanship and tactile materials, such as textured wood and handmade ceramics, to add comfort and warmth.
It features pared-back styling, precise craft and natural materials – qualities that have long been central to the design traditions of Japan, and the Nordic countries, particularly Denmark and Sweden.
This is the latest lookbook in a series providing visual inspiration for interior designers and design lovers. Previous lookbooks in the series have showcased bathrooms with views, calm living rooms and peaceful bedrooms.
Archipelago House, Sweden, by Norm Architects
Norm Architects’ Archipelago House is a pine-clad holiday home that was designed to embody Swedish and Japanese aesthetics, a theme that comes through most clearly in the double-height living room.
Here, the owners can lounge on furniture that Norm Architects designed together with Karimoku Case Study – the sister brand of Japanese manufacturer Karimoku.
Creamy white and pale grey hues complement the light wood furniture in the room, where the main light source is a bespoke cone-shaped lantern. This was designed in washi paper by Japan’s Kojima Shouten, which has been making lanterns for over 230 years.
Find out more about Archipelago House ›
A Quiet Reflection show, Sweden, by Ariake
An exhibition by Japanese furniture producer Ariake at Stockholm Design Week showcased the label’s wooden furniture, which was designed in collaboration with a number of designers from all over the world (above and top).
Set in the dilapidated former Mexican embassy in Stockholm, the clean lines of the furniture stood out against the crumbling walls and stuccoed ceilings, creating a mix of texture and colour and an appreciation for older craftsmanship that perfectly embodies Japandi.
Find out more about A Quiet Reflection ›
Pantechnicon, UK, by Farrells
Pantechnicon, located in a 19th-century building in London’s Belgravia neighbourhood, is home to both shops and restaurants that focus on Japanese and Nordic culture. Tenants include a cafe by French-Japanese cult record label Kitsuné and a Nordic restaurant called Eldr.
While Pantechnicon’s interiors are pared-down, plenty of wood detailing gives the space an inviting feel, and lantern-like lights and green plants have been added to soften the minimalist aesthetic.
Find out more about Pantechnicon ›
Upstate New York Home, US, by Magdalena Keck
A family with Japanese and American heritage live in this home in the Catskill Mountains, which has an interior that draws on both their backgrounds and adds plenty of Scandinavian style.
In the open-plan living room, dining room and kitchen, a table and chairs by Danish designer Finn Juhl share the spotlight with Japanese pottery and woven mats sourced from Tokyo. Mid-century design and American crafts also feature in the house, balancing out the Japanese minimalism.
Find out more about Upstate New York Home ›
Izumi, Denmark, by Pan-Projects and Mok Architects
A Japanese restaurant in Copenhagen is the perfect setting for an interior style that mixes the two cultures.
Izumi, in the city’s Charlottenlund suburb, draws on both Japanese restaurant interiors, with translucent screens that reference traditional paper sliding doors, and Scandinavian design. This can be seen in the curving oak panels that surround the open kitchen.
“Japan and the Nordic countries have a rich history of cultural interactions,” explained Pan-Projects’ founders Yurioko Yaga and Kazumasa Takada. “Especially in the field of design, there are many examples that are rooted originally in Japanese culture yet developed uniquely in the land of the Nordic region.”
Find out more about Izumi ›
K5 Tokyo Hotel, Japan, by Claesson Koivisto Rune
A converted bank building in Tokyo, bombed during world war two, was turned into a boutique hotel by Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune. The studio created a warmer interior style than is usually associated with Japandi, using tactile details and saturated hues.
Thin blue ombre curtains evoke the traditional craft of Japanese indigo-dyeing, or aizome, while sturdy wooden room dividers nod to Scandinavian mid-century modern design. The studio based K5’s interior around the Japanese notion of “aimai”, which is used to describe things that are ambiguous or unclear.
Find out more about K5 Tokyo Hotel ›
Powerscroft Road townhouse, UK, by Daytrip
As part of the renovation and expansion of this London townhouse, London-based Daytrip loosely lime-washed the walls and added polished concrete floors to create a “calm and serene home”.
The Scandinavian influence can be seen in the warm wood details used throughout the flat – as in this dining room, where a dark-wood chair complements a dainty table underneath the window – while elegant lighting fixtures add an East Asian feel.
A Japanese paper lamp from designer Isamu Noguchi’s Akari range stands on a wood-burning stove stacked with logs, Scandinavian-style.
Find out more about Powerscroft Road townhouse ›
This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing peaceful bedrooms, calm living rooms and colourful kitchens.
Reeded glass partitions, stucco walls and red walnut joinery feature in this renovation of a compact apartment in Tokyo by local studio I IN.
Created for Smarg, the renovation arm of Japanese real estate firm Goodlife, The Life concept apartment was designed to reframe the way that Japanese homeowners perceive renovated apartments.
Red walnut joinery features throughout the apartment (top and above)
“There is a common image of renovated apartments in Japan, which is not always positive,” said I IN.
“The majority of people prefer new buildings and spaces because of their appearance and reinforced structures as we have earthquakes.”
The kitchen cupboards are rendered in the same wood
To combat this preconception, I IN was commissioned to turn a 56-square-metre one-bed in a 1980s residential building into an understated luxury residence.
Set within Tokyo’s eastern Suitengūmae neighbourhood, the flat features an open-plan layout with the kitchen, living room and bedroom all located in one connected space.
Reeded glass partitions separate the bathroom from the living area
The kitchen sits at one end of the flat while the bedroom sits at the other, with the bed hidden from view behind a built-in walnut sideboard that the architects said serves as a “soft separation”. To separate these two domains, the living area was placed at the centre of the space.
I IN incorporated a palette of neutral colours and subtle textures throughout to create a light, restful and calming ambience.
The screens allow light to filter into the windowless bathroom
Reeded glass partition walls allow light to penetrate into the windowless toilet and bathroom while red walnut joinery, polished chrome lighting fixtures and off-white stucco walls were chosen to evoke a sense of luxury.
“We wanted to show the wooden architectural essence from old Japan through the texture of the wood and the three-dimensional layers of light, which you see in sci-fi movies,” I IN told Dezeen.
“The soft ambience from the slit light and textured glass was also important.”
In the future, the studio says the plan is to roll the design out to other buildings in central Tokyo.
I IN, which was founded by interior designers Yohei Terui and Hiromu Yuyama in 2018, was previously shortlisted for small retail interior of the year at the 2020 Dezeen Awards.
The bedroom is hidden from view thanks to another glass partition
Other renovated Tokyo flats featured on Dezeen include an overhauled 1960s apartment by design studio Minorpoet, which has its kitchen hidden behind folding wooden doors, and a refurbished flat by architect Masatoshi Hira where a family of four shares one bedroom, living space and wardrobe.
